twenty-four weeks

Last Thursday I had a centering appointment. I'm looking forward to the time we will start covering more interesting subjects other than what we find relaxing or comforting in pregnancy. They are going to bring in a lactation consultant, which I'm grateful for because I was astounded to learn that the hospital does not have one! I also got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was healthy. And I liked the number on the scale, which showed I've only gained 2 lbs. in two months. (I was wearing heavy clothes and shoes last time though. 2 lbs. is definitely not accurate since my belly has probably doubled in size in that time. Unfortunately, I don't have a scale at home.) I know people can tell I'm pregnant now by the way they stare at my belly (especially little kids).

Friday I attended a Le Leche League meeting. I was thrilled to get the name and number of a Dr. Mumper from the ladies there. This doctor does not push vaccines and has an "alternative" approach to pediatrics. However, I was then disappointed to find that she's not taking new patients right now. They told me to try back in a couple of months, so hopefully I'll be able to get in then! It was a fun meeting, and since the meeting's focus was on nutrition for that day, I actually came away with some ideas I can use even now. Despite all the great know-how being dished out, no one could help me on wondering what to do about having Junior circumcised on the eighth day after birth. It seems that everyone who cares enough about avoiding a too-potent vitamin K shot in the hospital also opted not to have their son circumcised. So I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that the pediatrician won't mind following the traditional plan (vitamin K peaks on the eighth day).

Junior continues to exercise frequently. In fact, I have found his movements as of late somewhat ticklish! I think he knows I'm writing about him because he just started moving around again. :)

garage sale jack pot

It's amazing the way God provides. On Saturday, I got up early to hit all the baby garage sales. I was finally heading to the last one without anything to show for it, about mid-morning. As I was picking through some clothes, it started to rain, so the lady asked me to make an offer for all the boy stuff there. I managed to pack the trunk of the SUV with baby items for just $35! Check out all the things I picked up (I was so excited I had to count them all when I got home):

-baby swing
-4 blankets
-2 towels
-pacifier clip (with a cute little turtle on it)
-12 hats
-2 wash mits
-6 slippers
-2 shoes
-pair of socks
-hand mits
-12 bibs
-changing pad cover (new in package)
-winter suit
-and 208 pieces of clothing in good condition

WOW!

twenty-two weeks, 4 days

And the research continues! Lately I have been reading all about vaccinations and the great debate surrounding them. On one side, there is traditional medicine, the CDC, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. For them, not to get an infant vaccinated within a few months of birth is mortal sin. If fact, you can be assured that your child will be infected, probably start an epidemic, and possibly die. On the other hand, there is holistic medicine and the parents of children who have been seriously disabled or died from adverse vaccination reactions. While they don't go quite as far as the CDC in stating your child will be adversely affected if you don't line up with their point of view, there are certainly strong feelings and arguments on that side as well. It's quite a maze of information and contradictory "facts" to sort through.

After much reading on the web (and trying to avoid scary video on the AAP site of children dying from infectious diseases), I decided to purchase Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives by Aviva Jill Romm. Romm's book previews (some pages are missing) are widely available on Google Books and I've been reading snippets here and there. I share her approach to medicine, which balances the holistic approach to health with an appreciation for the life-saving intervention that may be necessary (hopefully rarely) from traditional medicine. Plus I think she's a good writer and I appreciate the little history lessons she puts in her books. (I didn't know that Louis Pastuer developed a vaccine for rabies---which may have killed more people than it helped.) More to come on this subject after I finish the book...

Thanks to Carol for sending me this great website: Plastic Water Bottles. If you are at all concerned about plastics, I suggest you look it over. It confirmed my concern about plastic baby bottles, and I am on a quest for glass now more than ever. Not that I'll need many.

And then there is all this hullabaloo about plastic and toxic chemicals in baby mattresses: 5 Problems with Baby Mattresses. Which, I really don't like to go overboard on these things, but this article on the Holistic Pediatric Association website does have a good point: "Babies and toddlers spend 10-14 hours a day sleeping and playing on a baby mattress." But I don't know about the price of the pure cotton mattresses out there. I'll have to see if I can find a deal somewhere.

Finally, I finished the Ezzos' Infant Way guide, and I was slight surprised to find it did not (in my opinion) promote hyper scheduling the way many of their critics have claimed. However, I did find it slightly silly at times. While I agree with them that "Attachment Parenting" is not the answer, and admittedly I am no medical expert, I took issue with their main reason for harping on the "womb-and-birth-trauma" theory that AP supposedly overcomes. They say, "More likely, newborns have zero memory of birth, let alone the ability to recall anxiety that is specific to the experience. Memory function and synapse development depend on the brain receiving highly oxygenated blood which comes from breathing. Breathing cannot begin until the lungs inflate, which occurs after, not during birth" (p. 43). And do they not realize that the baby is getting plenty of oxygen from me through the umbilical cord? They just lost my respect with that statement. Sure AP is ridiculous. But how about combating the theory with scriptural principles that birth is natural and the whole process was created by God rather than relying on controversial medical information. (After researching it more, I found that infant memory is highly debated, but the latest research shows that it's definitely there and the idea that infants have little or no memory is actually an antiquated idea.)